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The Covenant of Grace!
Spurgeon, "The Treasure of Grace"
God foreknew that man would fall, but he determined of his
own infinite purpose and will that he would raise out of
this fall a multitude which no man can number.
The Eternal Father held a solemn council
with the Son and Holy Spirit.
Thus spoke the Father-- "I will that those
whom I have chosen be saved!"
Thus said the Son-- "My Father, I am ready to bleed and
die that your justice may not suffer and that
your purpose may be executed."
"I will," said the Holy Spirit, "that those whom the Son
redeems with blood shall be called by grace, shall be
quickened, shall be preserved, shall be sanctified and
perfected, and brought safely home."
Then was the Covenant written, signed, and sealed,
and ratified between the Sacred Three.
The Father gave his Son,
the Son gave himself,
and the Spirit promises all his influence,
all his presence, to all the chosen.
Then did the Father give to the Son the persons of his elect,
then did the Son give himself to the elect, and take them into
union with him; and then did the Spirit in covenant vow that
these chosen ones should surely be brought safe home at last.
Pause here, my hearer, awhile, and think before this world
was made, before God had settled the deep foundations of
the mountains, or poured the seas from the laver of the
bottom of his hand, he had chosen his people, and set his
heart on them.
To them he had given himself, his Son, his heaven, his all.
For them did Christ determine to resign his bliss, his home,
his life; for them did the Spirit promise all his attributes,
that they might be blessed.
O grace divine, how glorious you are, without beginning,
without end. How shall I praise you? Take up the strain you
angels; sing these noble themes- the love of the Father,
the love of the Son, the love of the Spirit.
This, my brethren, if you think it over, may well make you
estimate aright the riches of God's grace. If you read the roll
of the covenant from beginning to end, containing as it does,
election, redemption, calling, justification, pardon, adoption,
heaven, immortality--if you read all this, you will say,
"This is riches of grace--God, great and infinite!
Who is a God like you for the riches of your love!"
Turn your eyes yonder, see that blood-bought host arrayed
in white, surrounding the throne--hark, how they sing, with
voice triumphant, with melodies seraphic, "Unto him that
loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, to
him be glory and dominion forever and ever." And who are
these? Who are these trophies of his grace? Some of them
have come from the stews of harlotry; many of them have
come from the taverns of drunkenness. Nay, more, the
hands of some of those so white and fair, were once red
with the blood of saints. I see yonder the men that nailed the
Savior to the tree; men who cursed God, and invoked on
themselves death and damnation. I see there Manasseh, who
shed so much innocent blood, and the thief who in the last
moment looked to Christ, and said, "Lord, remember me."
But I need not turn your gaze so far aloft; look, my brethren,
around, you do not know your neighbor by whom you are
sitting this morning? There are stories of grace that might be
told by some here this morning, that would make the very
angels sing more loudly than they have done before.
If you would know the full riches of divine grace, read the
Father's heart when he sent his Son upon earth to die; read
the lines upon the Father's countenance when he pours his
wrath upon his only begotten and his well-beloved Son.
Read too the mysterious handwriting on the Saviour's flesh
and soul, when on the cross quivering in agony, the waves of
swelling grief do over his bosom roll. If you would know
love you must repair to Christ, and you shall see a man so
full of pain, that his head, his hair, his garments bloody be.
It was love that made him sweat as it were great drops of
blood. If you would know love, you must see the
Omnipotent mocked by his creatures, you must hear the
Immaculate slandered by sinners, you must hear the Eternal
One groaning out his life, and crying in the agonies of death,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In fine, to
sum up all in one, the riches of the grace of God are infinite,
beyond all limit; they are inexhaustible, they can never be
drained; they are all-sufficient, they are enough for every soul
that ever shall come to take of them; there shall be enough
forever while earth endures, until the last vessel of mercy
shall be brought home safely.
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